Air agitating tube -for refrigerating systems



R. F. LINDSAY ET AL AIR AGITATING TUBE FOR RERIG-ERATING SYSTEMS Original Filed F'eb. 24 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 me i1 MMMIWMM l i ,J

FEE/'5 i Ip flbtozmg Aug. 19, 1924. Re. 15,895

` l R.'F. LINDSAY ET AL i AIR AGITATING TUBE FOR REFRIGERATING SYSTEMS Original Filed Feb. 24 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet Reissues Aug. 19, 1924.

UNITED STATES ,i Y' Re.15,895 PATEN'T OFFICE.

.BOBEBT I'. LINDSAY AND ROBERT H. HEMPHILL, 0F CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA, SAID LINDSAY ASSIGNOR' OF HIS ENTIRE :RIGHTv T0 THVOYMAS W. CARROLL, QI'

CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA.

AIB-AGITATING TUBE BEFBIGEBATING SYSTEMS.

Original No. 1,442,410, dated January 18, 1923, Serial No. 538,949, illed February 24,1922. Application for reissue illed April 24, 1924. VSerial No. 708,830.

'To all 'who/m. t may concern.'

Be it known that we,R0BnR'r F. LINDSAY and ROBERT H. HEMPHILL, citizens of the United States, residing at Charleston, in the county of Charleston and State of South Carolina., haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Air-Agitating Tubes vfor Refrigerating Systems, of which the following is a speciiication. ,1. Y l

This-invention relates broadly to apparatus for a 'tating liquids by means of air, and specifica y to means to be employed in low pressure systems for ragitating the unfrozen core in an ice can soas to remove the impurities and provide-for the production of clear, colorless ice.

An object of the invention is to provide means for supporting an air agitating .tube in an ice can so that the tube maintains its position in the Yunfrozen core water until'the ice cake is lcompletely frozen.

Another ob'ect lis 4to .provide a support for carrying the air agitating tube which is readily attached to or detached from the top of an ice can of ordinary construction.

The invention is emplo ed in connection with ice cans which are ob ong in horizontal cross section the tube being suspended in the can by means of a hanging device which' rmits lateral oscillation across the smaller 'ameter of the can but holds the pipe rigidly relative to the reater -diameter of the can. In other wor s the device is attached to the tube in such a manner that the tube ma swing freely to and fro in one plane an is restrained from motion in any other plane.

" Referring to the accompanyingdrawin which is made a part hereof and on whic similar reference characters indicate similar parts, b

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section Vtaken through the greater diameterof the ice can, showing the vimproved air agitating device in position,

Figure2 is a similar v'iew, in at right angles to igure 1;

Iigure 3 vis a top plan view of the can land agitator; v

- Figure 4 is a perspective view of the tube su port and the upper end of the tube;

giglure 5 is a detail sectional 'view of the meta ic fitting at the ltop of the tube; and

' top of the can the section becompletely frozen cake ofice 6 having thcunfrozen central core 7. The can is oblong inhorizontal cross section and this is preferred.v The `top of the can 5 hasholes 8 in its long sides designed primarily to permit the attachment of a lifting device so that when( the ice has been completely frozen, the can `may be removed from the cold brine in the freezingrtank. We referably use one of these holes to provi e a point of attachment for the tube suplporting means to be described, but other ho es may -obviousl be provided in either the long or short si es of the can. d In order to agitate the Water durin the freezing process so as to revent the reezing in of impurities contained in the water, a tube 9 is supported pendently from the y means which forms a part of the present invention. This tube has a numberfof small perforations 10 at intervals along its length and is open at the ybottom. The air under low pressure is led from a pipe 12 connected to a. fitting 11, which is detachably connected to thel upper end of the tube 9, and the airA esca es through perforations 10 as well as throng the lower open end of the tube.

i A su port 13, which is preferably stamped from eet metal, is bifurcated at one end, and the furcations 14 are bent 0r doubled u on themselves to provide bearings for pmtlessl proeIting from tube 9 near its upper end. may be employed instead to connect-the support 13 with the tube i9, so that`the tube may swing ina plane across the smaller diameter of the can, and depend from -tlie support. in a position normally at righ-t angles thereto. The important feature is that the su port should e attached to the' tube in suc a manner that the tube may y other equivalent meansv swing freely to and fro in one plane and be restrained from motion in any other plane. merelyby way o f example.'

The other end of support The means described 'is to be taken' i v 13 preferably is l I. Fig. 4) and has a depending arm 16 bent at right angles thereto. The arm 16 is of less width than the corresponding end of support 13 so that two lugs 17 are provided on each side of the arm 16 after the latter.

is bent down. Each lug 1t is also bent at right angles to provide a pair of flat pro jections 18 spaced from but parallel to the 'arm 16. A wire spring 19 having a coil at its inner end, where it is fastened by a nut to the support at one side of the tube, is carried b the support and extends to- Ward the w1de`end of the support, being .then bent downwardly as at 20 and passe through a hole 21 in the sup ort. The extremity 22 of the spring is ent a` second vtime so as to be nearly parallel to the support 13, and extends through a slot 23 provided in` the arm 16. y The sprin may be depressed for a distance equal to t e length of slot -23, but it always tends to move to the top of the slot or in other words towardfthe lugs 17. 'his connection provides a sprin clamping means between the support an the ice can.

When the tube support is to 'be mounted on the ice can, the spring 19 is pressed as far down as possible, whereupon the extremity 22 is partly withdrawn through the slot, and the arm 16 and projections 18 may be disposedl on opposite sides of the upper edgeof the ice can adjacent one hole 8. If the spring is now released, its end 22 will patsls into the hole 8 as seen in Fi 2 an on the top of the can.

When the ice cake or block is frozen, and it is desired to remove the 'tating tube fromthe cake of-ice, the fitting 11 is detached from thetube 9, vand then a hot water needle is inserted in the tubewhich warms tlie latter so` that the tube ma ,be detached from the ice cake or block. hen the spring is depressed and detached from the hole 8 of the can, and the tube raised 'out' of the can. A

- It will be obvious thatclampin means other than the described means coul be used to hold the end of the support on the top of the can so as to reject inwardly on a level with the top o the can. The means em loyed should, however, permit the tube to attached and detached easily and ra idly.

e present invention is designed particularly, though not exclusively, for use in connection with a low pressure air itating system, which, asis well known, o ers important advantages over the high pressure system. However, in order to make the low pressure system effective, the agitator tube must be at all times suspended inthe center of the ice cake and must be maintained spaced from the surface of the freezing ice;

gure by its resilience will hold the support otherwise itl will be frozen in before the entire core is frozen, with the result that the Vagitation of the core water will cease. When such agitation stops the impurities in the core water willrapidly settle and adhere to the surface ofthe adJacent ice and will be imprisoned by further solidiication of the core water, and the purit market value of the ice, will be greatly impaired. Tlie tube supporting. means' herein disclosed and the discharge of air from the sides and bottom of the tube together give rise to a circulation of the core water and a slight oscillation of the tube end, the same as a pendulum, as seen in Figure 2, so that the tube is kept away from the approaching freezing surfaces of the ice until the core is so small that the tube becomes imprisoned on both sides at the same time. Thls is true even though the tube should hang out of plumb, or even though the can be tilted at a considerable angle with respect to the vertical. In effect, the tube is self-centering, and is kept in the unfrozen core water until the ice cake is frozen. Thesmall perforations in the side of the tube continue lto agitate the water until they are successively closed bythe freezing of the ice cake. Good results may be obtained-with only the open lower end of the tube.

In Figures 1, 2 and 3 the agitating device is attached to one of the long sides of the can, while in Figure 6 it is shown connected to one of the short sides. The result .is the same in either case. Having thus fully described our said invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: Y

1. A supporting device for agitator tubes for ice cans, having means at one end for detachable engagement with the ice can, and having means at the'other end for pivotally connecting the upper end of the tube thereto. 2. A support for air agitator tubes for 1ce cans, having means for detachable engagement with the ice can, and also having means for swingingly connectin toV the support so that the tube angs pendently from the supportl and may swing freely to and fro in onel plane and is restrained from motion in anygothe'r plane.

3. A means for supportingy air agitator tubes for ice cans, comprising a support' connected with the tube atone end of the support, and means on the other end of the. support whereby the sup ort may be secured to the top of the can and) will roject inwardly t-o the center of the can su stantially on a level" with the top of the can, and a' pivotal the tube as well as the connection at said other end between the tube support and the tube.

4. A means for'supporting air agitatorl which the tube is bodi y an freely swmgmitting the attachment of li i tubes "for ice cans,

be seated on thetop l mounted on sai able and having a hinge connection with the tube and having a spring clamp at one end whereby it is mountable on the top of the ice can. f

5. A means for supporting airagitator comprisin a support having a pivotal connection with the tube, means whereby an end of the support may edge of the can so ,as to project substantiall level with the to of t e can, and a clamp support and cooperating with the can to ho the support in the stated position.

6. A means for supporting air agitating tubes for ice cans, comprislng a support having a depending pair of lugs spaced from the depending arm sothat the upper edge of the can is receivable in the space between said parts, and spring-impelled means movableV toward the lugs so that the support may be removably held on the can. v

7. A'means for supporting air agitating tubes for ice cans, comprising a support p'ivotally connected at one end to the tube, and means at the other end whereby the support is secured to the can, said means engaging with the hole usually provided at the tops of ice cans for the urpose of perin devices.

8. A means for supporting air agitating tubes for ice cans, com'prismg a su ort havin a depending arm at one end and)l)ugs spacer? from but parallel to said y arm so that the upper edge of the can is re- `ceivable in said space, a spring mounted on the support with one end extending throu h a slot 1n the depending arm whereby the prng end is constrained to move toward e lugs so that the support is clamped on s t the can, and means joimng the other end of the su port with the tube.

9. e combination with an ice can and an air agitator tube therefor, of a support for the tube adapted to be mounted on'the can, said tube being constructed of metal and pivoted to the support to swing in one vertical plane onl said tubehaving an open lower end where y the escape of air from said end and the resultant agitation 4of the water in the can, will set up oscillations on the part of the tube, which oscillations vent the entire'core is frozen.

10. The combination with an ice can and an agitator tube therefor, of a support for the tube adapted tobe mounted on the can, said tube belng pivoted to the support to swing in but one plane, said tube havin an open lower end and a plurality of per orat1ons extending longitudinally whereby the escape of. air from said perforations and said open end and they resu tant agitation of the water in the can, will set up oscillation horizontally on a arm at one end and a dependingl into the water o repremature freezing of the tubes 4beibrel on the part of the tube, which oscillationl prevents premature freezing in the tube befor connection'with an air supply and con-v nected to said support by a hinge connection whereby said tube is adapted to swing bodily on said support, substantially -as set forth.

12. The combination of an air agitator tube for ice cans, a support on which the tube is bodily swingable ina plane extending transversely of t e can, means for opposing movement of the tube away from said plane, and means to secure the support detachably to an ice can, substantially as set forth. l v

13. An air-agitating attachment for ice cans comprising a support, means for detachably securing said support to an ice can, an air-agitator tube, and a hinge connection between said air-agitator tube and said support whereby said tube is adapted to swing bodily crosswise of saidcan, substantially as set forth.

ice cans, inc uding means or detachable engagement with the wall of an ice can, and

means for swingingly.. connecting the tube toV the support for swinging movement in a single plane only during the freezing operation. 15.`Mechanism for making ice comprising an ice can, an air agitator tube extending into the can, and means forl supporting the tube for pivotal movement in one plane only said means supporting the tube so loosely that the normal rassure of the air escaping i) the can causes the tube to swing, substantially'at set forth.

16. In a refrigerating system, an ice can, an air agitator tube extending into the can, and means whereby the tube isV so looselyk supported that the normal pressure of the air escaping into the water of the can causes the tube to oscillate suchy oscillation being imilltled to a single plane, substantially' as set 17. I n a 'refrigerating system, an ice can, an air agitator tube extending into the can having perforations and means whereby the tube 1s so loosely supported that the normal pressure of the air escaping into -the water of the can causesv having means to along opposite sides,

means limiting such movement to asngle plane extending transversely of the longer diameter of the can, substantially as set forth.rv

5 19. In a refrigerating system, an icecan, a support for an air agitator tube including a horizontal pivot, an air a 'tator tube mounted to swing freely on sal pivot, and an air supply connected to said tube for supplying` l0 air thereto under pressure whereby said tube has a swinging impulse imparted thereto by the discharge of air therefrom, substantially as set fort y In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands and seal at Charleston South 15 Carolina this 16th day of April, A. nineteen hundred and twenty-four.

v ROBERT F. LINDSAY. ROBERT H. HEMPHILL.

vWitnesses: y

J. H. A RMNs'moNG, .1J G. Hm. 

